MOSCOW. Oct 9 (Interfax-AVN) - Designers of the SU-33 Flanker plane that the Russian Navy is armed with received state awards on Wednesday, the press service of the Sukhoi aircraft production enterprise told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"During a solemn ceremony in the Kremlin on October 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the Order of Honor to the Sukhoi company's director general Mikhail Pogosyan for a substantial input into the development, creation and mass production of up-to-date aircraft, such as the SU-33 aircraft commissioned by the Russian Navy. Konstantin Marbashev, director and constructor general of the program, got the order "For Merits to the Fatherland" for designing a deck warplane," the press service said.
The Sukhoi company is Russia's leading aircraft manufacturer that designs, produces and modernizes military aircraft such as the SU-17 Fitter, SU-22 Fitter, SU-25 Frogfoot, SU-30, SU-30MK, SU-33 and SU-35 Flanker as well as civil purpose planes and amphibians. Sukhoi's planes form the core of the Armed Forces frontline aviation.
The company was established in line with the Russian president's decree and a government resolution in late 1996. It comprises the Sukhoi design bureau, Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft production enterprise, Novosibirsk aircraft production company and Taganrog-based Beriyev research and technical aviation enterprise.
"As a result of enormous work on the modernization of aircraft carried out in the past few years, Sukhoi became Russia's leading aircraft maker as far as export volume is concerned. In 2001, export of SU-series aircraft through the Rosoboronexport state- owned arms trader amounted to over USD1.5bn, which made it possible to provide a stable amount of work to the company's enterprises and the main cooperation of co-producers," the press service reported.